KS medical Board acting vs. abortionist Neuhaus

The Kansas state Healing Arts Board is taking action against licensee Kristin Neuhaus for enabling illegal late-term abortions and AP reports a preliminary hearing took place last week. Kansans for Life hopes this action, and loss of her license, can move forward quickly.

Neuhaus still has a state medical license, although it is of “exempt” status. On her 2010 renewal form, she described her professional activities as “Self-Employed, Solo-Practice…Charitable Health Care, Treatment of Family and Friends with no compensation.”

In the past, Neuhaus was observed assisting at an indigent clinic in Kansas City, Kansas but her current work address(es) are hidden by the Board. Although they have not done so for other Kansas abortionists, they have uniquely blocked her business addresses, citing open record exemption K.S.A. 45-221 (a)(30) to prevent “an invasion of personal privacy.”

Notably, 2 of the 3 non-Kansan abortionists who performed late-term abortions for the late George Tiller, Shelly Sella & Susan Robinson, are now out of the legal disciplinary reach of the Board! Sella cancelled her active license, effective last Monday and Robinson has not renewed her inactive-status license and it will officially lapse within days

Without licenses, or state residence, the Board has no authority to compel their testimony, try them for offenses, or to force other states to take any action.

The third Tiller surgical partner, LeRoy Carhart, currently has a valid Kansas license and has not yet opened his own Kansas abortion clinic, as he had threatened. Carhart aborts in Nebraska, and that state has enacted a law (effective Oct. 15) banning all abortions after 20 weeks.

Kansans for Life did not receive an official copy of the petition against Neuhaus, although it should have, since we have filed official complaints against her (and other abortionists) in 2008 and 2009 that were accompanied with binders of evidence and with hand-signed petitions from over 23,000 Kansans. UPDATE July 30: The Board Director apologized for the oversight.

BACKGROUND
TheBoard’s chargesagainst Neuhaus relate to those they lodged in Dec. 2008 against Tiller for 5 years of post-viability abortions performed on the basis of approvals by Neuhaus, instead of independent medical referrals.

The exposure of illegal late-term abortions was spearheaded by former AG Phill Kline, and was the subject of 2 citizen grand juries (in 2006 and 2008) organized by Kansans for Life.

The Board may have wanted this mess to go away, but citizen outrage has kept the issue alive. Another factor dragging out legal actions has been the changeover in administration at the Board.

In 2008, Kansas legislators forced the resignation of the Board’s executive director (Larry Buening) and the lead attorney. The Disciplinary Counsel left soon after. (The replacement director, Jack Confer, resigned in Oct. 2009 and is suing the Board.)

Although the 2008 Board executive shake-up was precipitated by cases of patient deaths and sexual abuse, the Board integrity had been challenged by Kansans for Life since 1993 and the legislators who effectuated the change were KFL-endorsed pro-life legislators.

KFL worked quietly with a Board subcommittee in 2006 to attain on-site clinic inspections and standards which closed the clinic of abortionist Sherman Zaremski and pushed him into retirement in 2009.

KFL efforts to remove Neuhaus were always stymied by director Buening, whose shocking commitment to protecting her —in order to secure Wichita late-term abortions– was publicly exposed at trial in March 2009.